Royal Opera House » Royal Ballet Take Class on Main Stage to Celebrate 50 Years of Friends2015-03-03T17:28:04ZWordPressRachel Edmundshttp://www.roh.org.uk/?p=149352012-10-17T15:27:28Z2012-10-17T15:18:30Z

"We thought this would be a good opportunity to say thank you and ‘Happy Birthday!’" said Kevin O’Hare as he welcomed over 600 Friends of Covent Garden to a special event in the main auditorium last week: Royal Ballet in Class on the main stage.

Daily Class happens every day of a dancer's working life: an hour and a quarter of exercises to fully warm up for the day ahead. The public only get to sit in on these classes very rarely, and when they do, it is in a studio where space to sit and watch is limited. Kevin brought this key part of The Royal Ballet's day onto the main stage as a way of recognizing that the Friends of Covent Garden are essential supporters of the work of the Royal Opera House.

Each ticket was £2.50 to cover processing and mailing cost, meaning that Friends were able to purchase tickets in all parts of the auditorium at just £5 for two people. It was a wonderful occasion that Friends responded to enthusiastically, one remarking: "I’ve only ever treated myself to a ticket in the Grand Tier once before; this is so special!"

2012 is the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Friends of Covent Garden, and we are extremely grateful to them for their ongoing enthusiasm and support for everything that we do. As Kevin said, Happy Birthday!